What Do You Know About Your Blood Pressure Level

Hypertension is not only mankind's most common disease but is the biggest single causative factor of death. Unfortunately only about half of the hypertensive population is aware of the disease and only about half of those who know they have hypertension are under treatment.

Furthermore, treatment is successful in only about half of the cases being treated, with the result that only about one in eight people who have hypertension are under adequate treatment.

Risk Factors in Hypertension      

Heredity: Although the manner of inheritance is in doubt, inheritance is an important factor in hypertension.

Salt Intake: A person with an inherited tendency to have hypertension may hasten the appearance (and also the severity) of the condition by the excessive use of salt; and hypertension may be delayed or even avoided if salt intake is reduced.

Social and economic status: High educated groups tend to have lower blood pressure than less educated groups. Probably because the latter are less apt to take advantage of medical facilities.

Weight: Although excessive weight has been thought to contribute to hypertension and weight loss has been associated with a drop in blood pressure, it is possible that the blood pressure drop may be due to the decrease in salt intake that often accompanies dieting.

Cigarette Smoking: There has been no proof that long-term cigarette smoking causes hypertension but since smoking aggravates coronary artery disease, hypertensive patients should be strongly discouraged from smoking.

Stress: Over activity of the sympathetic nervous system may result in increased cardiac output and pulse rate and thus hypertension.

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The great majority of cases of hypertension (over 90%) come under the category of essential (primary or idiopathic) hypertension, which is also referred to as hypertension of unknown cause and is usually asymptomatic in nature. Secondary hypertension on the other hand is usually the result of renal or adrenal disease.

Hypertension has been characterized as "the silent disease": the symptoms of hypertension are often so minimal that, as already stated, only about half of the hypertensive population is aware of the disease. When symptoms do occur, the most prominent symptom is headache. This is called hypertension headache, which occurs early in the morning.

Blood Pressure Value and Interpretation

1. Blood pressure value below 90/60mmHg indicates low blood pressure (hypotension).
2. Blood pressure between 90/60 to 120/80mmHg indicates ideal or normal blood pressure.
3. Blood pressure between 120/80 to 140/90mmHg indicates pre-high blood pressure.
4. Blood pressure above 140/90mmHg indicates high blood pressure (hypertension).

The effective treatment of hypertension obviously requires very good doctor-patient communication. Thus every high blood pressure patient should be aware of the following information:

• Hypertension is the "Silent Killer". You cannot tell by the way you feel whether or not you need your medication.
• Hypertension is a major cause of stroke. It can also damage the eyes, brain, kidneys and heart.
• Hypertension is usually a lifetime condition and the patient will have to have his blood monitored for the rest of his life once it has been found to be elevated.
• Daily taking of antihypertensive medication has been proven beneficial.